This Is War
by Ara Wachter
Summary: Searching for Sophia, Rick and Daryl find Scarlett. Searching for her family, Scarlett finds something that she would never imagine in the post-apocalyptic world. [Daryl/OC]
1. Rick Grimes

**This is the first fic I write in english so if you could tell me if anything is wrong or there's something I should know, you would help me a lot. I love constructive reviews!**

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I ran through the woods as fast as I could, grabbing hard the little knife I had been able to find. Little, but effective. The blade was already covered in blood and brains, just like my clothes and hands. All I could hear behind me were growls, closer and louder. My heart was pounding hard against my chest and I felt my throat dry. It hurt, but stop my race would be the last thing I would do. If I did, I would die.

I felt exhausted with every step. I hadn't eaten or slept in three days. I was surprised by the fact that I hadn't passed out yet. I stopped a few seconds to catch my breath before continue my race, when a branch on the floor made me trip up. I fell on my knees and let out a growl of pain feeling the cramps on them.

More growls could be heard and the hair on my arms rose up in alarm while I returned to my feet. Trying to ignore the pain, I ran again. A few bastards appeared on my sight, right in front of me. I buried my knife's blade in the skull of the one who was closer to me and proceed to do the same thing with the other. Their bodies fell with a deaf sound and I passed through.

I had advanced a few steps when I saw, in the distance, a little hill I would be able to climb. It didn't measure more than three meters and it became my goal. There could be a road on the surface, so I could follow it and arrive to a town or village to search for supplies.

But in front of me was a group of Walkers. Growling and showing their rotten, dirty teeth. I cursed under my breath and turned, trying to find another way to reach the hill. There was none. The Walkers were close enough to follow me if I ran, so I took a deep breath and started killing them. With every move I made I stepped back, walking away from their dangerous hands.

I killed the last one and left the others behind me before running as fast as my tired legs allowed me. I didn't stop until I reached the hill. I rested both hands on one of the thick branches and pushed myself to lie on my stomach.

A dead hand hooked on my ankle and I panicked. I began to swing my leg with desperation, feeling tears on my eyes. I didn't want to die without see my family again. I knew they were safe and I had to find them. A bunch of Walkers was below my feet, grunting and with their arm on the air, trying to catch me. When the Walker finally let me go, I rested my knees on the branch and slowly stood on it, supporting myself with both hands on the wall. Thinking carefully, I started to climb with the help of the protruded branches. On the ground, the dead, hungry bodies piled up.

In the middle of the way, my foot slipped and with a scream I descended some steps. My hand reached a branch and my fall stopped. A few tears fell down my face as I felt the blade of my knife digging into my left palm, blood squirting down my arm.

Quickly but carefully, I climbed again trying to ignore the pain of my hand. The top was closer and I couldn't hear any Walkers there. I had an opportunity after all. I raised my hand and grabbed the edge, pushing me once again.

I let out a moan as I sat on the land, not wanting to cry anymore. I was wiping my tears, leaving a trail of blood on my face, when I heard steps.

"Sophia!", a masculine voice screamed, alerting me. Two men appeared before I could even stand up and their eyes fixed on me. One of them had a sheriff uniform and a hat, blue eyes and light beard. A gun hung from his waist. The other one was dirty and wore a sleeveless shirt and vest. The crossbow in his hand was pointing me, his cold blue eyes too. Cold sweat covered my forehead and my heart began to bump fast. I was afraid.

"Throw the knife." Said the one with the crossbow. I did what he had told me and raised my hands, not wanting problems.

"Did they bite you?" the sheriff asked me. I shook my head slowly and tried to rise, but the pain on my knee returned me to the floor. The sheriff approached and looked forward my bloodied hand. "How have you done that?"

"My knife." I said after a few seconds. "I tripped."

He frowned. "Looks awful."

Meanwhile, the other man never stopped pointing at me with his crossbow. In his eyes I could see distrust.

The sheriff bent in front of me and pointed my hand. "Can I?" He grabbed my hand and looked at my palm as I observed it for the first time. The cut was deep and some matchwood were stuck in my skin. My hands were dirty and it was an awful sensation.

He sighted. "You'll need stitches. Hershel will help you."

The crossbow man looked the sheriff like he had lost his mind. I felt insulted.

"We don't know her." He pointed me with his weapon and Rick looked at him. "Are you going to take her without knowing if she's dangerous?"

The sheriff looked at me, thinking about the crossbow man's words. He smiled and grabbed my arm, putting it around his shoulders and helping me to stand up. "Yes."

"You'll explain this to the group."

The sheriff ignored him. "What's your name?"

I walked carefully, feeling a cramp each time I put weight on my leg. "Scarlett."


	2. Trust

**Thank you so much for the review, MelYu! And thanks to those who have put this fic on followed and favorite stories! I'm very excited because like I said, this is the first fic I write in english. If there are any mistakes here, please tell me so I can correct them and improve.**

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When I saw the farm my eyes couldn't believe it. It was like a piece of heaven in the middle of hell. The journey had been slightly awkward. Rick Grimes, the sheriff, seemed a good man. He asked for what had happened to my leg and told me that with a few days of rest it would be recovered. They were looking for a little girl, Sophia, who had lost in the woods a few days ago. The crossbow man, Daryl, hadn't said a word. Instead, he walked behind us all the time with his eyes locked on my body, watching every move I made to be sure I wouldn't hurt Rick.

But I didn't want to. Something in Rick's face told me that I could trust him, maybe stay with his group until I fully recovered. Then, I would go to find my family.

The moment the people who were camping outside saw Rick arriving, they exchanged a very confused look. They came closer and a woman with short and grey hair fixed her sad eyes on Rick. I was absolutely sure she was Sophia's mother.

With shaken voice, she asked. "Didn't you found her?"

I felt guilty. They had stopped looking for her in order to help me.

"We will back tomorrow, we aren't leaving your little girl alone, Carol. I promise." The woman covered her mouth with her hand and turned her back to go back to camp. Rick and I walked towards the house in the middle of the farm. There was a tall girl with short brown hair on the porch who looked at me from top to bottom. She fixed her eyes on my bloody hand.

"What happened to her?" She asked.

"She cut her hand and I think it'll need stitches. Could you call your father?"

The girl nodded and disappeared through the door. Rick and I entered the house and he helped me to sit down on a chair of the living room. Then, he sat in front of me.

"Thanks for helping me." I said, talking slowly and exhausted. I was hungry and tired, my hand and knee hurt. "But don't you think you should had asked permission to Hershel before bringing me here?"

"Well, maybe." He smiled a bit. "But you seemed to need help."

"I'll not deny that." I said right before an old man with white hair entered the room. Probably Hershel.

"Rick, I remember telling you that my house is not a hostel." He said as his daughter looked at me carefully.

"I couldn't leave her there. She has a bruised knee, hardly can support herself. She's wounded, too." Rick pointed my hand and Hershel approached me to examine the cut.

He frowned before looking at his daughter. "Maggie, please, bring my kit. I'll see what I can do".

"Thank you so much, sir. I'll go as soon as I can. The last thing I want to do is be a trouble." I said while Maggie rushed to give her dad the kit.

"Well, if your knee is that bad you'll need a lot of rest."

"How's Carl going? Is he still asleep?" Hershel looked at Rick and nodded. "I'll go to check him. I'll be back when you're done with her." Rick gave me a tap on the shoulder before leaving. Hershel sat down on his place and began to clean my hand, examining the cut carefully. Maggie stayed by his side, bringing him everything he asked her to. I was frowning and gritting my teeth because of the contact of my cut with the alcohol.

"Well then, girl." Said Hershel. "What's your name?"

"Scarlett, sir. Scarlett Petrov." I answered, watching how he worked.

"Why were you alone? Where's your family?"

"I lost them. I was travelling with my parents and older brother when a bunch of those things appeared. I spent three days by my own until Rick found me." Hershel and Maggie were listening to me carefully. By the corner of my eye I saw how Maggie smiled sadly.

They had no kind of anesthesia so the process of sewing my cut was painful and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Hershel continued asking me questions. I wasn't sure if it was for know me better and be sure that I wasn't dangerous or to evade my mind off the pain. When my moans began to be a bit loud, Maggie brought me a piece of cloth to bite.

When he was done with my hand, he bowed in front of me and started touching and moving my hurt knee. Every move made my face shrink. A few minutes later, he sat back down on his chair and took out a band from the kit. He wrapped my hand and knee with it. As if he knew the exact moment when Hershel was over, Rick appeared down the stairs.

"You'll need at least one week of rest." Hershel rose up, grabbing his kit. "Take her to the room next to mine. I bet you're hungry and tired." I nodded frenetically and he smiled a bit. "You can take a shower and I'll send Beth to bring you some food and clean clothes."

"Thank you, Hershel." He nodded and Rick helped me up the stairs. We passed by Hershel's room, where a little kid was lying in bed. A bandage crossed his chest and a layer of sweat covered his forehead. He looked smaller than he was. By his side was his mother. I stayed there just for two seconds before resuming my way. The little kid was Carl, Rick's son.

I mumbled. "Is he ok?"

"Yeah, he awoke a few seconds." Rick sighed with sad eyes as we entered my temporary room. "I told him Sophia was safe. I didn't know what to say, he has been through so much…"

"I think he'll understand and I promise I'll help you to find her as soon as possible. I owe you, after all." I sat on the bed and Rick helped me to remove my shoes.

"The only thing you have to do now is take rest. Get some sleep, eat something and don't worry." I nodded and Rick approached the door.

"Rick, wait." I said. He turned and looked at me, one hand on the door frame and the other on his waist. "Why did you helped me? You barely know me and Hershel is not happy with me being here. Why?"

Rick sighed and glanced the floor before speaking.

"I got into trouble when I arrived to Atlanta. Someone helped me without knowing if I was dangerous or not, so I did the same with you." He smiled broadly. "I trust you."

I smiled shyly and nodded. After a few words, he closed the door and left me finally alone. Minutes later, a blonde girl brought me fresh clothes and some food. After eating the meat and vegetables with corn, I left the plate on the nightstand beside my bed and lied on it. Almost immediately, I fell asleep.


	3. First Day

**Thanks for the review, Maggie! As always, let me know if there are any mistakes here.**

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Next day I woke up having slept like never before. Daylight lit the room and allowed me to see a tray with juice and a plate with scrambled eggs on the nightstand. My stomach growled as I hurried to put the tray on my lap. I got carried away by the delicious taste of eggs and orange juice and almost felt sad when I finished eating. I rose up, feeling a cramp on my knee. Even if it was very comfortable, I didn't want to spend all day on the bed. I walked to the window and opened the curtains, discovering Rick's camp. All tents were placed around a bonfire except one, which was really separated from the rest. It was like the person who owned it didn't want to socialize with the others at all. I turned to the door when a knock sounded.

"Come in." The door opened and Rick poked his head with a big smile on his face.

"I heard you." He said. "The group have been wondering who is the unknown girl who sleeps on the room next to my son."

There it was. I knew I had to meet Rick's big group soon but I wasn't ready yet. What if they didn't like me? I sighed and looked at the sheriff with an insecure look.

"Do they think I'm dangerous?"

"Why should they?"

I didn't answer. Instead I rested my shoulder on the window frame and glanced at the camp again. My intention wasn't staying with them, but it didn't mean not being accepted not frightened me.

"I can tell them you aren't in conditions yet. They'll understand."

I shook my head.

"No, it's ok." I said, not convinced at all. "I'll take a shower and will be there immediately."

With a nod, Rick left. Nervously, I took the clean clothes Beth had left the previous day from the chair and left the room to find the bathroom. I looked every room until I found it. I took a quick shower even if my body wanted to be underwater forever. I hadn't had a proper bath since this madness began.

After dressing and leaving my dirty clothes on the room, not knowing what to do with them, I put on my boots and carefully went downstairs. My legs were shaking and my hands began to sweat. On the dining room I found two teenagers: the blonde girl who brought me the clothes and a boy with light brown hair wearing a straw hat.

"Hi." The girl smiled. "You're awake, finally. I bet you hadn't sleep in a long time."

"You bet right." I approached to them and took a look to the round clock hanging on the wall. Two o'clock in the afternoon. I looked them again, slightly smiling. "I'm Scarlett."

"Beth," the girl said, "and he's Jimmy."

The boy greeted me politely. I excused myself and left the house. From the porch I saw a lot of people reunited.

I approached to them, my nerves increasing with each step, and they all turned to see me.

" _Calm down, Scarlett,"_ I thought, _"you'll be okay."_

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My knee still hurt a bit, but at least I was able to walk without cramps. Besides, Hershel told me that would be good for me to get out of the bed. And he was right. The moment my feet touched the soft grass and the sun reached my skin, I inhaled some fresh air and smiled. I hadn't been so serene since a long time. I was always running and watching my back, but now that I had company and some protection again, I felt happy.

The problem was I couldn't stay.

My plan consisted of helping them to find Sophia and then leave to search my own family. My heart ached every time I remembered them. I missed mom's smile and soft eyes. I missed dad's wise words and Marko's jokes. I missed my brother like crazy. I knew they were out there, looking for me. But I didn't want to leave without helping Rick's group. They had helped me, after all. I had a score to settle with them.

I walked towards Carol as she greeted me with a good morning smile.

"How's your knee doing?" She asked. I put my hands on my hips and smiled.

"My knee is doing it right. My hand… I'm not sure. But I'll be ok."

"I'm glad to hear that."

I doubted before asking. "How are you doing?"

The woman kept her gaze on the woods next to us. When her eyes turned sad I felt bad instantly, but she answered anyway. "I know she's alive. She has to."

I nodded firmly, not sure about what I should say. "She'll be ok."

She smiled me and I responded with another one.

"Good morning, misses." Dale approached to us with his riffle hanging off his back. "Scarlett, you finally joined us."

Dale was an absolutely friendly man who cared about the safety of the group. He reminded me of my grandfather somehow. I missed him, too.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"I'm glad to see that." He left us and went to the RV, climbing the stairs to sat on the chair that was on the top. He passed the mornings, evenings and nights up there, keeping watch in case some Walkers decided to visit us.

Rick, Shane, Andrea and Daryl were discussing Sophia's state when I approached to them. They were gathered around a white van with a map above the hood. I placed between Hershel and Rick, looking the piece of paper, delighted.

"We have to get this thing organized." He never removed his sight from the map to look at me, but he felt my presence. "We haven't covered this section yet; we should keep searching in teams…"

Everyone nodded.

"Daryl and I will go back to the place we found Scarlett, will finish covering that zone and we'll go ahead to the other section." By the corner of my eye I saw Daryl nodding. When his eyes met mine, I looked back to the map. That man really intimidated me. "Shane and Andrea, you'll keep driving, see if Sophia is somewhere near the road." The pair exchanged a glance. "That's all. The sooner we get out, more ground we'll cover."

Rick was about to remove the map when I talked. "Wait, Rick, what about me? I thought I could help."

The sheriff sighted and put both hands on his hips, shaking his head.

"Not today, Scarlett. I'm sorry."

"But, why? I can go out there alone, if that's the problem."

"Your knee," now, Hershel was the one talking, "if you push it now, it'll get worse."

"Plus, you'll only delay us more." I looked Daryl with resignation, but somehow he was right.

Resignation grew in my chest. I wanted to be helpful and my damn knee didn't allow me. I pressed my lips together and looked at the map again, thinking about Sophia. She was only twelve, she didn't know how to fight a Walker or how to avoid them. I bet she was scared, hungry and tired. She only wanted to be with his mother again. That was how I felt before Rick found me.

When my mind came back to real world, Daryl, Andrea and Shane were gone already. Rick pat my shoulder and breathed heavily.

"You can help when you recover, Scarlett."

"When will it stop being a problem?" I asked Hershel. He twisted his mouth.

"Expect some days more. Be patient, girl."

I nodded silently and both men left. Meanwhile, I could ask Dale to teach me how to use a gun properly. Andrea told me Shane had tried to convince Hershel in order to teach the group, but he refused. I was good with weapons but not that much with guns. My dad tried to teach me once, but my aiming wasn't good enough. Even if I preferred silent and light weapons, I wanted to learn how to use guns.

As I walked away from the van to find something to do, my eyes followed Daryl and Rick walking through the farm. For a moment, I was tempted to follow them. I couldn't just stay and look how everyone helped but me.

Annoyed, I turned and went back to the camp.


	4. Nightmares & Roses

**As always, let me know if there are any mistakes here.**

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I was on the middle of a dark and stinky tunnel. The flooded floor made my steps sounded and my flashlight began to fail. I had no guns or weapons, so when I heard the well-known growls coming from behind, I panicked. My shaken legs moved to the front as my flashlight lit the way. I had to find an exit before they found me.

The tunnel became darker as I advanced and I could still hear them. They weren't far. Suddenly, my flashlight turned off.

"Fuck, not now… not now!" I whispered, feeling my breath heavy. What I was supposed to do now? I couldn't move without light.

I put my hand on the wall and tried to continue the way when I realized: growls had stopped.

Trying to not make any kind of noise, I took my flashlight again. After some small taps, it worked again. I looked back, watching the empty tunnel. Where had they gone? I couldn't hear anything.

Decided to find a way out, I turned again. But what I saw made me freeze.

My mother's corpse was looking at me with white and gray eyes. She growled at me and fear invaded my body. Behind her, my dad and older brother were making their way to me.

I wanted to run, to escape, but my legs weren't working. I just stayed there, watching my entire family dead. Mom raised her hand and grabbed my shoulder, burying her teeth on my flesh.

I screamed when dad and Marko bit my face. I fell to the floor with tears falling from my eyes, my flesh being torn from my bones. My family was no longer my family. And after all that pain, I would be no longer human.

Something grabbed my leg and I screamed louder, fearing that were more of them.

But when I opened my eyes all I could see was my tent's blue roof and Andrea's panic face.

"Holy shit, girl! You scared me!" She put her hand on her chest and I sat, grabbing my face. I had cried in my sleep. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and cleaned my face while I tried to catch my breath. If I talked, my voice probably would tremble.

"A nightmare?" She asked. I nodded again and bit my bottom lip.

"It's happening a lot lately." I said.

"It'll stop, you'll see." She took my hand and I gritted it. "I came to tell you that Shane is taking me to practice with the guns. I thought you would like to come, too."

A smile appeared on my face. "Really? Of course I want! When?"

"Get dressed and have some breakfast, then we'll go."

She left and I took a black jeans and a white T-shirt from the corner of my tent. Rick had found it on the last search of Sophia. I didn't want to bother Hershel anymore and occupy one of his bedrooms, so Rick offered it to me. Gladly, I accepted. I placed it beside Andrea's one. On the other side, far away, was Daryl's little camp. When I went to the bed I saw him cleaning his arrows and next morning he wasn't there anymore. Did he ever would rest?

Once I was ready I went to the car, where Andrea and Shane were waiting.

"Be careful!" Dale screamed from the RV's roof. I waved him as goodbye and sat in the back seat of the car. Almost immediately, Shane began the road.

"Have you used a gun before, Scarlett?" Andrea asked me from the front seat.

"My dad tried once, but I was little and my aiming was no good." I said, feeling an ache of pain on my heart. I missed dad.

After a few minutes, we arrived at a place away from the farm. First, Shane took three wooden boxes from the trunk and stacked them away from Andrea and me. Then, he placed three bottles of beer on top.

Shane handed me a gun and I grabbed it with fear. It was heavy and intimidating. Andrea, by my side, looked confident as hell.

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I wasn't able to sleep that night. Nightmares attacked my brain like Walkers attacked fresh flesh. It was the same nightmare as always: myself on a dark tunnel, trying to find an exit when my dead family found me. But that night something went different. That time, I reacted. I had a gun with me and I shot my family right on their brains. Their dead bodies fell to the floor and I knew they wouldn't come back again.

I was safe, but I didn't feel it. I was alive, but they weren't. I was alive, but alone.

It was dawn when I changed my clothes and left my tent. Everyone else was still sleeping. Seeing the camp, I felt safer. Since the moment they met me, they treated me as one of them. Even Beth and I had started to talk more and suddenly she was becoming a kind of best friend.

I turned around and my eyes found Daryl. He was looking at me with a lifted eyebrow, surely surprised that someone was awake at that hour. I waved my hand at him and he gave me a head nod in response.

Daryl and I didn't talk a lot. He was always outside and when he wasn't, he stayed alone on his little camp. Besides, he seemed a bit surly.

Taking advantage that no one was awake to stop me, I approached him.

"Are you always awake this early?" I said, thrusting my hands into my pockets.

"Usually." He took his crossbow from the floor.

"Look, my knee is much better…" I began, fearing a negative response. "Can I go and help you to find Sophia?"

He looked at my knee before pointing the woods with his head and start walking. Quickly, I went after him. I discovered that Daryl was a very agile man, his movements reminded me of a cat. I, on the other hand, was a disaster. I couldn't take a step without making noise, so I received numerous "shh" from Daryl in order to be silent.

On the inside, I was slapping myself. I shouldn't have gone with him, probably all I was doing was bothering him.

"Hey." my thoughts stopped when I heard his voice.

My eyes moved to where he was pointing with his weapon. On the middle of a lot of plants and trees there was a house similar to the farm, but very neglected.

"Do you think Sophia may have stayed here?"

"Let's see."

He lifted his crossbow and I grabbed my knife: he would lead the way and I would cover his back. He opened the front door and we checked all the rooms. They were full of dirt and dust, some of the furniture was broken and the curtains were torn. The house had been abandoned a long time ago.

Daryl and I entered the kitchen and he went to inspect the next room. I looked around when something on the bin caught my attention. There was a can of sardines and it looked recently open. I called Daryl with a whisper while I grabbed it. He turned around to look the little can on my hand.

"Perhaps it was her…"

Daryl took the can and examined it before pouring the liquid into the trash and throwing it again. Then, he pointed a small pantry with his crossbow and approached to it. He gave me a look as I took on a defensive position with my knife before opening the door.

My heart stopped a few seconds. All I could see from behind Daryl was a part of a small bed on the floor, in a space where only someone very little could fit.

He moved away with a sigh and I could see clearly the empty bed. I dropped my arms to each side of my body, hearing him screaming Sophia's name on the backyard. This was very disappointing. Did he feel this way every time he returned to the camp without Sophia? How did he feel when he told Carol that he hadn't found her?

After a few minutes, I went outside. Daryl was crouched in front of a group of weird roses, which I had never seen before.

"What are those?" I asked, kneeling by his side.

"Cherokee roses."

"It's a strange name…"

"It comes from a story." I could hear sadness on his voice and for a moment I felt uncomfortable. I didn't know what to say, so when he started the story, I was relieved. "When American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much because they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared."

It sounded too much like the actual situation. Imagine a child being eaten by Walkers made me feel nauseous.

"So the elders," he continued, "they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell."

A little smile appeared on my face because of that beautiful story. I touched a petal with my index finger. "You're thinking about Carol, don't you?" He didn't answer, but I didn't needed. "We'll find her and they'll be together again. Every child needs her mother, now more than ever."

"You lost your mother, too."

Shocked, I turned my head to meet his blue eyes. Then, he gently took one of the flowers and handed it to me. I grabbed the Cherokee rose, feeling tears on the back of my eyes. I wasn't expecting that. When I first met him, Daryl seemed so tough and difficult to get along… I was wrong.

"You'll find her."

I cleaned my tears with my free hand, feeling really touched. "Thank you, Daryl."

He smiled imperceptibly before grabbing another rose for Carol. We got up and made our way back to the camp. Everyone was awake now and I greeted Rick as Daryl went to the RV, knowing that Carol would be there.

"What's that?" Rick asked, pointing at the flower.

I smiled again, probably looking like an idiot. "It's a long story."


	5. Mother

**As always, let me know if there are any mistakes here.**

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"So… were you married?"

"With a wonderful woman named Irma." Dale took a little sip from the bottle of water before handing it to me.

I was sitting on the RV's roof beside Dale's chair, looking at the woods. The day was extremely sunny so I wore only my jeans and a blue tank top. My hair was pulled back into a high ponytail so the sunbeams burned my back and shoulders. The farm looked so calm and safe, the place I had wanted to find since the apocalypse. The Greenes were so lucky to still have their home.

I played with my knife between my hands while Dale cleaned his gun with a white handkerchief.

"What happened to her?"

"She had cancer, she didn't make it…"

Instantly, I felt guilty for asking. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Dale smiled sadly, but something in his eyes told me he wasn't sad at all.

"Sometimes, I thank God she's not here to see how crazy the world is."

I continued playing with my knife in silence. Sophia, my parents and my brother were everything in my mind. Rick knew where to look for the little kid, but I had no idea where my family could be.

"I wonder if my family is okay…" I began. "My dad is a survivor and he can protect them, I know that. But these days… life is tough. Even the strongest warrior can fall."

"Have faith, kid," Dale said, patting my head almost like my father did when I was a child, "I bet you'll find them."

"Scarlett!" I heard a voice from below the RV. Dale and I turned around and saw Rick.

"I'll go to see what he wants." I said, standing up. "Thank you, Dale. I really enjoy talking with you."

The old man nodded with a smile and I went down the stairs carefully. When my feet touched the ground, Rick made me a signal to follow him. We walked to the van, where T-Dog, Andrea, Daryl and Shane were observing the map.

"If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl and Scarlett found," Rick began, "she might have gone further east than we've been so far."

Jimmy, with both hands inside his pockets, approached to us.

"I'd like to help." He said, very confident. "I know the area pretty well and stuff."

"Hershel is okay with this?" Rick glanced him from top to bottom, not hiding his surprise. Jimmy didn't talk too much with us. I only talked to him because he was always beside Beth.

"Yeah, yeah… He said I should ask you." I raised an eyebrow at the boy. Hershel was pretty protective with his kids, I doubted Jimmy had really asked him. But I was nobody to doubt. Instead, I looked at Rick, who nodded.

"All right then. Thanks."

Shane, sitting inside the car with the door open, talked. "Nothing about what they found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse."

With my arms crossed, I supported on the van. "Anybody includes her."

The man smirked after rolling his eyes and didn't answer.

Daryl wanted to borrow a horse from Hershel to look for Sophia from above.

"Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too." T-Dog said and I smile.

I smiled as I looked at Daryl. "Chupacabra?"

"You never heard this?" Dale was smiling too. "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra."

Jimmy, by my side, laughed. He gained a hateful look from Daryl. "What are you braying at, jackass?"

"You believe in a blood-sucking dog?" Rick handed me a gun. My training was still in process, but I was pretty good already. Some days, Shane and Andrea taught me. Other days, Dale did.

"Do you believe dead people walking around?"

Well, Dixon had a point. He decided he would go by his own. I would go with Rick and Shane. Daryl went ahead the stable and I followed his figure until he disappeared. Jimmy was sent with Andrea and T-Dog. After distributing the guns, each group left.

We were walking through the forest, both in front of me talking about their high school's girlfriends. Shane was a real fuckboy compared to Rick. I let them had their conversation and tried to focus on my own things. Suddenly, they stopped walking.

"You think we should abandon the search?" Rick seemed annoyed. I opened my eyes, shocked. Was he thinking about abandon Sophia?

"What?" I said, approaching to them. Shane took off his cap. "Are you thinking about that, seriously?"

"Listen to me, sweetheart." I pressed my lips in a thin line as Shane leaned the gun on his shoulder. "This is about survival. It means making hard decisions."

"You think abandon a little girl is survival?"

Shane ignored me, frustrated. "Look, Rick, you spread us thinner and thinner. I'm trying to save lives here and you're out saving cats from trees."

"No, you just want to give up."

"Scarlett…" Rick grabbed my arm, trying to calm my anger.

"No, you don't think we will find her, right?" Shane didn't answer. "I think I will be better on my own."

I began to walk to the opposite direction, angry and disappointed. A few steps later, I heard Rick and Shane ones, not following me. I wasn't in the mood to hear more of his bullshit. Shane seemed nice at first, was that his real behavior? His real personality?

I sighed, putting myself in Sophia's shoes. It was awful to think that your own family could stop looking for any time. And then, it hit me: what if my family thought I was dead? What if they had given up on me? Thinking about it made me nauseous. If I only knew where to start looking…

The crack of a branch alarmed me. I grabbed my knife, looking around. Some growls came from my left and two seconds after, three Walkers appeared. They were nothing I couldn't handle. I buried my knife on their skulls. When the apocalypse began it was harder for me to kill Walkers, they really scared me. I always stayed behind Marko, knowing that he would protect me. But I couldn't live like that forever. I had to know how to protect myself.

I was about to continue my way when I heard another growl, this time behind me.

I turned around and my jaw almost dropped. My heart stopped and my throat closed.

Shuffling toward me, with white and green eyes, gray skin and a bright weapon stuck in her heart, my mother raised his arms to grab me.


	6. Still People

**I know it has been a while since I wrote or I uploaded a new chapter. Probably a lot of people have forgotten this fic, but anyway, here I am. There's only one thing I would like to ask to you: if you read my fic, please leave a review! It's the only way I have to know you like it. As always, let me know if there are any mistakes.**

* * *

In that moment, I lost hope. There, right in front of my eyes, my worst nightmare was coming true. Just like in my nightmares, the woman who gave me birth growled and walked towards me with the only intention of eating me alive. And, like in my dreams, I wasn't able to react. Tears blurred my vision, my pulse increased. I closed my eyes for a second while I breathing heavily, wishing this was just another nightmare.

But when I opened my eyes, my mother was dangerously near. Her hair had some grass on it and her clothes were dirty and bloody. Her skin was grey like her eyes. Those eyes which were full of life were now full of nothing. Death in all its glory.

I stared at the bright, golden weapon buried on her chest. I could recognize it anywhere: it belonged to Marko. He knew how to deal with Walkers so he would never try to stab them in their heart on purpose. That meant two things: he found her and didn't want to kill her, or he tried to kill her and she…

The blood on her face made my heart ache.

I took a deep breath as I wielded my knife and almost ran towards her. She growled because of our closeness and lifted her arms. Her dead hands touched me for a second, making my skin bristle. I stuck the blade on her skull and the body fell to the floor, dead for the second time.

A wave of anger swept my senses. Why her? Why them?

I gritted my teeth as some tears fell from my eyes. I pounced on the corpse and stabbed it again, right on its left eye. And on its cheek. And its forehead. Blood covered my hands and my clothes.

The idea of me being the last member of my family made me cry harder. I left my weapon buried on her face, completely defaced, and sat beside her. With the back of my hand I brushed a strand of hair out of my face. I hid my face between my arms. I didn't want to see her body anymore.

I knew that creature wasn't my mother, but it _had been_ after all.

This changed all the situation. The possibility of my dad and my brother being dead was the only thing rounding my head. Should I keep searching for them or stop?

Minutes and hours passed. At sunset, I rose up and took my knife. I looked at my brother's one and after a few seconds, I also took it. Turning my back to the corpse, I walked away with tears filling my eyes.

When I arrived to the farm, darkness almost covered the sky. Nobody was outside and I could hear everyone voices inside the house.

With trembling legs, I climbed the small steps to the porch. I grabbed the doorknob and realized that my hands were covered in blood. What would they think if they saw me come back like this? I had to wash before entering the house.

But when I turned around, the door suddenly opened.

Rick frowned and focused on my dirty clothes. Then, he looked me in the eyes directly.

"What happened?" He asked, with a worried tone. "What is all this blood?"

I opened my mouth and tried to talk, but only a sob escaped my lips. Rick approached me as Shane joined him. I could see the group staring at me from the table. Then, I saw Beth's worried look.

I began to cry. Rick put an arm around my shoulders and guided me upstairs, Shane and Hershel following us. On the distance, I heard Beth asking her father if I was okay.

We entered the bathroom and I sat on the edge of the bathtub. Hershel brought a wet towel and I started cleaning my hands, still sobbing.

"Have you been bitten?" Shane asked. When I shook my head, he sighed with relief.

"What happened?" Hershel talked.

"I found my mom." I said, cleaning my left hand. "She had blood all over her face and my brother's knife stuck on her chest."

Rick sighed and looked at Shane, maybe reproaching himself leaving me alone.

"I killed her." I mumbled. "And I think she killed my dad and brother."

Uncontrollable tears flowed from my eyes. Beth appeared and ran to hug me. I rested my head on her shoulder until I calmed.

"You should wash your clothes and take a shower." Hershel said. I nodded and cleaned my tears.

"And you can sleep with me tonight." Beth smiled. "I will bring you a clean pajama."

Everyone left the bathroom and I prepared myself to have a shower and left the hot water take care of me. With a sponge I rubbed the blood stains until they disappeared and washed my hair, too. After that, I put on my pajamas and went to Beth's room. Not saying a word, I went to bed and she lay beside me.

After a few hours, I still couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes scenes of my mom devouring my family came to my mind.

I was about to lay face up when Beth turned to talk to me.

"You need to rest, Scar…"

"I'm trying."

"You don't know if they're really dead. Maybe your mom…"

"I guess she wasn't my mother anymore." I interrupted. She sighed and woke up. I looked at her and rose up too, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Come with me."

She took a flashlight and we went downstairs. Everyone else were sleeping, so we tried to make any noise. We left the house, passed the little camp until and reached the barn.

"Why are we here?" I whispered as she lit the flashlight.

"I want to show you something."

Beth began to climb the stairs, me behind her. I felt extremely confused. What the hell were we doing in there? An awful smell hit my face as we walked through the barn. I wrinkled my nose instantly. Finally, we reached the edge.

I gasped as I covered my mouth. By my side, Beth was lighting the lower floor. A bunch of Walkers wandering around turned and looked to us. They started walking to our direction, crawling and raising their arms.

I looked at my friend in fear, who had a serious look.

"I just…" she said, "think they're still people."


	7. Secrets

**Okay, so I think we all need to keep calm after 7x01. I will not do spoilers, but I'm really shattered. I have to thank galwidanatitud for leaving a review, it really cheered me up. Please, leave reviews so I now what you think about this fic and its development. Here I leave a new (and short) chapter, which is the beginning of problems and tension and everything. Let me know if you find any mistake.**

* * *

"This have to be a joke..." I mumbled. I took two steps to move away from the edge of the upper floor and grabbed Beth's wrist. "Why do you keep them here?"

Beth sighed and stayed silent for a few seconds.

"My dad says that they're sick people and one day somebody will find a cure," my heart sank when those words went out of her mouth. I thought Beth was smart enough to know that there wasn't any cure, "and when that happens, my mother and stepbrother will be with us again."

"Beth… I've been sleeping next to that barn for weeks!" Exasperate, I raised my voice over the Walkers growls. "What if they… escape?"

"The barn is secure, Scar." Although Beth kept insisting, I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if the door of that hellish barn opened. We could be all dead…

"I have to tell Rick…" I whispered, looking at the bodies below.

"No!" Beth lifted her voice for the first time since we met, making me look at her surprised. Did she want me to keep a secret that dangerous?

"Beth…"

"They will kill them; you can't say anything."

"They're already dead!"

"I'm not like you, I would never kill my mother."

I shut my mouth as a wave of rage filled my chest. I couldn't believe she was throwing that argument to my face.

She continued. "I thought I could trust you."

Beth turned around and left the barn. I stood there, observing the bodies that kept walking around and showing their teeth. In the darkness, I wished I had never found my mother.

I decided to sleep on my tent, sure as hell that Beth didn't want me in her room. I didn't want to be there, either. I entered the tent and lied on the uncomfortable floor. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep to forget everything, but it was hard when my place of sleep was near a barn full of Walkers.

Anyway, tiredness and lack of sleep helped me when I stopped thinking.

* * *

" _Charlie told me I would never be a teacher because I don't know how to write." Said Scarlett, sat on the sofa next to her brother._

" _Charlie doesn't know how to treat other children, doesn't he?" Exclaimed her mother, inside the kitchen. Seconds later, she was out with a plate full of cupcakes._

 _Automatically, Marko and Scarlett left the sofa and sat around the table. Their mother put two pancakes on their plates and shed syrup on them._

" _It doesn't matter…" Said Scarlett, with true sadness on her voice. "It's true I don't know how to write. Russian and English are very different, mommy!"_

 _Internally, Allison blamed her husband for wanting their children to learn Russian before the age of five. Marko was a smart kid and had no problem in school, but little Scarlett… Five years-old and she still preferred Russian over English, something that her grades evidenced._

" _We will keep working on it. From now on, no more Russian writing. We will learn English for a while, okay?" Scarlett nodded, but still had a pout on her lips. "Honey, don't listen to Charlie… you will be a great teacher and all kids will love you like you love Mrs. Collins."_

" _Really?" A smile emerged on Scarlett face._

" _Of course, sunshine. Don't let people drag you down, you will get everything you propose."_

* * *

I woke up at sunrise. I left my tent and looked at the barn, sighing. It was like I could hear Walkers growling and pushing the door to get out. The thought gave me goosebumps.

Then, I remembered Daryl. While showering the night before, I had heard Rick and Shane talking about an accident during his run. Instinctively, I walked toward his tent. It was open and I could see Daryl changing his shirt. He had a bandage around his side and a bloodstain was beginning to appear on it. But what really caught my attention were the enormous scars that crossed his back. They were clear, everywhere.

"Daryl?"

He immediately put a shirt on and turned around, looking really pissed off. In that moment, I knew he didn't want anyone to see his back.

"Geez, girl, don't you know the meaning of privacy?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you…" I shut up for seconds, pretty intimidated by his face. Then, I bent down. "I-I… I just came to see if you were okay, I'm sorry."

"Well, I think I look okay."

"Yeah, sure…" I stayed there for a moment, not knowing what to say. I really wanted to converse with him, but why did he made it so hard? "And… what happened?"

"I fell off a horse and an arrow was buried in my side. Then, your friend shot me."

"My friend?" I frowned, not knowing who was he talking about. Beth didn't know how to hold a gun, much less shoot.

"Andrea."

Oh, that friend…

"I bet she didn't do it in purpose."

"I know that."

There was another awkward silence when I thought about the barn again. Maybe Daryl could do something and keep the secret at the same time. But I didn't want to expose the Greene family. God knew how would Rick react…

"Do you have anything to wash? I think I'll help Lori and Carol with laundry."

He shook his head and I stood up. His voice made me stop.

"I'm sorry about your mom. Rick told me. It sucks…"

"Yes, it does."

* * *

One week later, I was sitting in front of a pretty recovered Carl, watching how he did his homework. Lori wasn't feeling alright and commended me the task of helping him with his studies. I couldn't deny her offer, I missed teaching kids and he was a good student. Besides, it was another way of distracting me from the new, grotesque world.

Beth was still mad. She didn't talk to me and avoid me anytime I saw her. She began the training with Shane, always under her father's supervision. And even so I hadn't say a word about the barn.

"I finished." Carl handed me his homework, interrupting my thoughts. I half-smiled and took the little notebook to check his answers. I was explaining him one of his mistakes when Carol called us for lunch. I closed the notebook and put the plate on my lap.

Everyone was eating in silence, enjoying Carol's food, when Glenn stood up. He seemed agitated and nervous, which made me feel curious.

"Um, guys…" He began, touching his chin. His hands were shaking. "So… the barn is full of walkers."


	8. Lost Hope

**New chapter! Much longer than the previous one.**

* * *

I got up quickly and approached to Glenn, my heart bumping up and down. I couldn't believe he knew the secret too. Had he discovered by his own? Or had Maggie told him? Did Beth told her that I knew their secret and then she told Glenn? If the group discovered that I had been keeping the secret from them, they would feed the Walkers with me.

We flew to the barn. Shane peeked through the small gap between the two doors and walked away when a Walker, feeling he was there, growled to him. By his facial expression, I could say he was very upset.

"Rick, you can't tell me you're all right with his."

"I'm not." Rick looked away for a second. "But we're guests here, this isn't our land."

Shane's face turned angrier. It was clear that Rick's opinion disappointed him. I crossed my arms and stood beside Carol, watching the scene without saying a word.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Said Andrea, clearly positioning herself on Shane's side.

"Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go." My body tensed at his words. Go without Sophia? Abandon her in the woods? Go and never see Beth again?

"We can't go." I said, stopping his pace.

"Why not?"

Carol responded before I could even say a word. "Because my daughter is still out there."

Shane put both hands on his face, desperate. "Look, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility."

"What other possibility, Shane?" I said. The man looked at me with a smirk on his face. He took two steps and our eyes connected. Everybody stayed silent, waiting for his response.

"Maybe she's dead. Maybe she died the same day she ran away, that's the other possibility."

Carol tried to hold a sob and put both hands on her mouth. I threw a furious glance to Shane, but he didn't even flinch.

"I'm close to finding your girl, Carol. I found her doll two days ago." Said Daryl, putting a hand on the woman's shoulder. She nodded, trying to catch her breath. Again, Shane intervened.

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did, you found a damn doll. That means nothing."

"Enough, Shane. You've been taking us down since we began to look for her," Rick called my name, but I ignored him, "dropping hints about her being dead even in front of her mother. I wonder how can you be so fucking insensible all the time."

"Who do you think you are to throw those things at my face, uh?" Shane came dangerously close to me. The only thing that separated us was Rick's arm, trying to take his friend back. "Rick saved you and we have given you food and a place to sleep. You should be grateful!"

"I have nothing to thank _you_!"

Shane continued his speech. "But the only thing you've done since you came is fantasizing about your dead family and following Dixon around like a puppy. You care nothing about the girl!"

My hand flew before I could even react. It impacted on Shane's cheek and the man instinctively raised his arm, ready to hit me back. But someone grabbed my waist and pushed me back. Andrea tried to hold me while Daryl, in front of me, screamed and jumped around to beat Shane. They were trying to grab each other, but Rick, as always, was trying to end the fight.

"Okay, enough!" He screamed, his voice making us stop. I stayed on my place, Andrea still with her arms around me. I shook and pulled away from her grasp. "Now just let me talk to Hershel, let me figure it out."

Shane came back again, furious. He looked like he was about to punch Rick, but Lori put both hands on his chest and pushed him. "What are you going to figure out?!"

"If we're going to stay, if we're going to clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land."

"Hershel sees those things in there as people, sick people. His wife, his stepson..." I frowned and turned my head to look at Dale.

"You knew?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yesterday I talked to Hershel."

Then I wasn't the only one who knew the secret, but I was the only one who kept it. That made me feel guilty. I knew that I wouldn't have avoided this situation, but maybe I could have talked with Rick. He would have known what to do.

Still angry, Shane screamed at Dale. "And you waited the night?"

"We could survive one more night, and Glenn wanted to be the one."

Suddenly, the doors of the barn began to shake and annoying grants were heard. Hands were poking through the gaps, shaking it. I took two steps back, feeling how the hair on my arms and neck bristled.

* * *

I was sat on my tent, reading a book that Dale had lent me, when somebody called my name. The first time, I didn't respond. After what had happened with Shane I didn't want to talk at all. But the person on the other side didn't stop, so, in the end, I went out. It was Carol.

"Hi" I said. She smiled and, without saying a single word, hugged me. At first I didn't know what to do, but after a few seconds, I hugged her too. Then, we separated.

"Thanks for defending my girl, Scarlett."

I shook my head, grabbing her hands. "You've got nothing to thank me."

"I'm sorry about how Shane treated you, but not sorry at all about how you reacted." We let out a little laugh while I blushed. I hadn't hit a man before and, to be honest, I panicked inside when he prepared to strike back.

"It's just… I understand how Sophia is feeling. Being lonely, in a place you don't know with those things chasing you… but I was found, and she will be found too."

We talked a little more and then she left. I entered my tent and continued the reading, but I couldn't enjoy the book anymore. Shane comments hurt me, but I wasn't angry at all until he mentioned Daryl. I wasn't following him around, just helping with the search of Sophia… right?

It was true that, when I met him, Daryl scared me. Something in his eyes was intimidating. But after he gave me that rose, the image I had of him faded. He was kind and good at tracking and hunting. He seemed like he was made for the apocalypse. I knew that, by his side, nothing bad could happen to me.

In the middle of my thoughts, somebody started screaming my name again. I snorted as I opened the door. This time, Beth was outside.

"Hey." She said, smiling shyly.

"Hi."

"Maggie has told me that your group know about the barn."

I sighed. "Look, if you're here to scream at me, you can go. I'm not in the mood right n-"

"No, Scar," she interrupted me, "I'm here to tell you that I'm sorry. Maggie told me that Glenn discovered it and he told to your group. You kept the secret after those bad things I said to you…"

"I would never betray you, Beth."

We hugged and, quite simple, our anger was forgotten. I closed my tent and we went to the porch to see how Carl and Patricia played chess. I didn't know how to play, so Beth explained to me in whispers every move they made.

Sat in the stairs, flirting like teenagers, were Glenn and Maggie. Actually, they made a cute couple and I couldn't help smiling every time I looked at them.

But all the joy was vanished by Shane. He came with a bag of guns hanging of his shoulder. He gave one to Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn. He claimed he wanted to protect us from the Walkers in the barn, but I knew that he just wanted to be right, be the leader instead of Rick.

I looked around and saw Beth scared face and Maggie upset look. Someone had to stop him.

Shane handed a gun to Carl. The kid was about to grab it, but I took it off his hand at the same time Lori appeared. The man smirked, thinking that I would take part of his plan.

"He's a kid, he will not use it." I said.

Lori positioned herself between her child and Shane, anger flowing from her eyes. "Rick said no guns, this is not your decision to make."

The sound of growls made us turn around. What I saw made me freeze: Hershel and Rick, with the help of Jimmy, were trying to guide a pair of Walkers. Shane ran toward them, to the barn, knowing he had gained one more reason to carry out his plan. Instantly, we ran behind him.

"What is that? What is that?" He screamed, pointing out the Walkers. I had to admit that it was weird. Who in their full powers would lead two creatures? Rick ordered him to back off, but Shane wasn't listening anymore. He had lost it.

"Shane," Rick tried to calm down his voice, "just let us do this and then we can talk."

"What you want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people, they're dead.  
Ain't going to feel nothing for them because all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're going to kill all of us."

Beth squeezed my arm, with fear on her eyes. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me.

"Nothing bad is going to happen, okay?" I told her. She nodded. "Rick will figure-"

Two shots rang out and we both startled. Shane had shot a Walker, the one who Hershel had. Beth was about to lose her nerves. Shane shot again and I made Beth walk away a little. Rick kept telling him to stop.

"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming?" Three new shots. "That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?"

"Shane, enough!"

"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough." Finally, Shane shot the Walker on its head and the body fell to the floor.

He continued. "Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if you all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now."

"Take the snare pole." Rick began to scream again, this time at Hershel, who had fell to his knees and seemed not understand what was happening around him. "Hershel, listen to me, man, please. Take it now. Hershel! Take it!"

But it was too late. Shane had grabbed a pick and was smashing the chain with it. I took a step to go, decided to help Rick, but Beth stopped me.

"No! Please, Scar, don't go."

"I have to do something, he needs help!"

"Don't do it!" I heard Glenn scream.

Shane broke the lock and ran away, positioning himself a few meters from the barn, ready to shot every single Walker that came out.

Andrea and T-Dog were the firsts to ran to his side. I shook my head at my blonde friend, incredibly upset with her. This wasn't the way. All kind of Walkers came out of the barn… and they shot them all. Beth began to sob and I hugged her, asking her not to look. Glenn was the next to join Shane, who had shot the Walker that Rick was holding. Daryl didn't stay back, neither.

I couldn't believe this was happening. Of course, I knew that they weren't people anymore and that Hershel was completely wrong, but this wasn't the way to fix it.

Little by little, all the Walkers were dead. The barn stayed silent a few seconds, when new whimpers came out of it.

My eyes caught the figure of a little girl. She walked out the barn, slightly annoyed by the sunlight. She had short, blonde and dirty hair. A big bite rested on her neck, making her purple t-shirt had blood stains. My heart sunk, my eyes watered when I heard Carol screaming her daughter's name. The little girl that had encouraged me was there, in front of my eyes. Dead.

Daryl grabbed Carol and both fell to the floor, she crying her heart out. Rick raised his gun at the same time I hugged Beth, not wanting to see anything else.

Then, I heard the last shot.


	9. Death & Jealousy

**I haven't updated for more than a month and I'm really sorry! But university happened and I had a lot of essays to make... Also, I have used Google Translator for the Russian words, so please don't kill me if it says something totally different from what I wanted to say.**

* * *

 _"And on breaking news, another family has been quarantined in the city of Atlanta. Nearest neighbors must undergo several tests to determine that they are not a threat…"_

 _My skin bristled at the sight of people dressing with insulating suits on the screen, walking around the house. The reporter continued talking about how the disease had everyone worried, something I could agree. During the last week, least people came to University. Even professors were skipping classes. I hadn't seen Laura, one of my best friends, for five days. I turned around to see my grandfather looking at the board very concentrated._

" _What do you think about the disease, grandpa?" I asked._

 _He replied without looking at me. "I think that these Americans are too panicky. I'm sure it's just a rare flu that haven't been discovered yet. Nothing to worry about." He moved his Queen towards my King and in a matter of seconds he had won another game. "Check mate."_

 _I looked at the board a little outraged. This was his third victory._

" _C'mon, grandpa!" I said while he smiled. "I bet you're cheating."_

" _You're a terrible loser, Letti."_

 _A smile crossed my face in the moment I heard the "Letti" fall from his lips._

" _Long time you didn't call me Letti."_

" _She loved calling you like that, you know it." We began to replace the chess pieces as we talked. "At first, she hated it. But once she had you in her arms, she loved every inch of you, including your name."_

" _I know it." We finished fixing the board and I placed my elbows on the table. I was determined to solve a pending issue. "Grandpa, you have to talk with dad."_

" _I don't think so," his smile disappeared. Now, he had a serious look. "I have nothing to talk about with him."_

" _Yes, you do." I insisted. "Please, give him a chance to explain himself…"_

" _Scarlett, zabud' ob etom (Scarlett, forget it)." This time, fluid Russian came from his lips. This meant he wouldn't change his mind, at least not that day. I sighed, frustrated. An awkward silence invaded the room. "I'll go get some water."_

 _He made a gesture to get up from the chair, but I was faster._

" _Don't worry, I'll get you some." I stood up and walked to the kitchen where Lily, his nurse, was washing the dishes._

" _He won't talk with him, right?" She asked and I nodded. She knew my family's situation already, but had never said a word about it. I knew she had her own opinion, but her professionalism didn't allow her to speak it._

 _I filled a glass with water without saying a word and came out from the kitchen. When I arrived to the living room, the chair where my grandpa was sat was empty. I frowned, looking around. I would had heard him if he would had moved. I walked towards the chair, discovering my grandpa's body lying on the ground. I dropped the glass and ran to him._

" _Lily! Lily! He fainted!" I screamed, kneeling by his side. I could feel my heart beating at a high speed. Lily ran towards us with wet hands and put two fingers on his neck. Her look went worried._

" _His pulse is low." She said as she woke up and ran to get the telephone._

 _I stood there, by my grandpa's side, holding his hand and whispering to stay with me until the ambulance arrived. I let Lily to go with him. She was his nurse, after all, and I had to call my family to tell them what had happened. As I walked towards my car, a horrible feeling hit my chest._

* * *

I had my arms wrapped around Beth, who was tearing up in my chest. I wished she hadn't seen anything of this. I could hear Carol sobbing on Daryl's arms, calling for her dead daughter. Rick was standing in front of Sophia's dead body, static. I saw how Daryl helped Carol to stand up and, after pulling him away, she ran out of my sight. In my arms, an inconsolable Beth mumbled her mother's name. She gently pushed me away and began to walk to the pile of Walkers.

I tried to grab her, but she avoided my hand. "Beth, don't go…"

She ignored me as she reached her mother. Very delicately, she put apart the Walker that was on top of her mother and laid her on her back. My heart was broken by this sight. I had been on the same position when I found my mom. Was she still my mother or a monster? For Beth, she was still her mom. Suddenly, I heard growls coming from that direction. I ran in the moment I saw her dead mother moving and grabbing Beth, with Rick and Shane behind me. She began to scream in fear and immediately I grabbed her from behind, trying to separate them. Andrea grabbed an oz and stabbed the Walker with it. The Walker, finally, stopped moving.

When we released Beth, Hershel came to us with an angry expression and screamed. "Stay away from her, you monsters!"

He took Beth from my arms and she hug her father, crying harder. His scream took me by surprise and instinctively I took two steps back.

"Come here, Scarlett…" Rick whispered, grabbing my arm and gently placing me by his side. I didn't say anything, feeling how embarrassment on my throat didn't allow me to talk. The Greene family began to walk to their house, followed by Rick, Shane and Glenn. As he walked by my side, Jimmy sent me a hateful look. I stood in my place, thinking about what would had happen if I had done something. Maybe, if I had acted instead of following my dad's rules, my grandpa would have had an opportunity.

I turned my head around when I heard steps coming in my direction. Daryl placed himself by my side and we both looked at the Greene house. We stood there, silent.

"You did what you could." I mumbled.

I heard him sighing, but his expression didn't change. "Maybe I could have done more."

"I could have done more, too." I replied, the face of my grandfather appearing on my mind. Maybe Daryl thought I was talking about Sophia, maybe he thought I was trying to take away some guilt from him, but he put a hand on my shoulder. This action made me look at him. He was slightly smiling, so I smiled a bit, too.

"C'mon, let's bury them." Said Daryl, walking in the barn's direction. I followed him, frowning.

"You bury them?"

"Not all of them, just the ones we love."

I didn't have to ask anything else. It was a good motto. Burying the ones we loved was a way of reminding ourselves that Walkers have been people, too. Soon we decided that we would dig graves for Sophia and Beth's mother and stepbrother. Once it was all settle up, I grabbed a shovel and placed myself between T-Dog and Andrea. While I dug, I wished I could have buried my mother instead of leaving her lying in a forest. But this wasn't my land, like Rick had said, and I had no right. Glenn came hours after, screaming my name as he ran. I turned my head around and so did Andrea and T-Dog.

"What happens?" I said, a little surprised and worried. He came to me, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. Once he could talk, he incorporated.

"It's Beth, she fainted. We think she is in shock."

Automatically, I dropped the shovel and ran as fast as I could to the farm. I opened the door, expecting Hershel to be in the living room. But there was no sign of him, in fact, there was no sign of no one there. Seconds later, Glenn entered behind me. I ran upstairs, where Jimmy was standing like a bodyguard in front of Beth's bedroom door.

"What happened to her? Is she okay?" I made a move to open the door, but Jimmy's body was an obstacle.

"It's none of your business." He said, with the same hateful look he had given me hours earlier. "You and your group have done enough."

"You are kidding, right?" I said, my expression turning angrier. "I didn't even participate!"

"That doesn't matter. Since you came, only bad things had happened to us."

"Hey, dude," Glenn intervened, "this wasn't our fault. You know those things are dangerous, they ki-"

"You're not coming in." Jimmy ignored Glenn and his eyes locked on mine. "She doesn't need you, she has me. Get the hell away from her."

I snorted, finally understanding why Jimmy hated so much. Since I arrived, Beth spent much more time with me than with him. She even complaint sometimes of how needy Jimmy was.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" A threatening look appeared on his face and his body tensed. He made a move, with the intention of coming near me, but Glenn put his arm between us to avoid it. Jimmy didn't hesitate.

"If I were you, I would leave this place before Hershel told you twice."

And without letting us respond, he entered the room and closed the door in our face.


	10. Burials

**Here I am again! To thank you for the reviews and to wish all a happy new year. Also, I want to ask you something: how do you imagine Scarlett? Both her physical appearance and her personality, I'm curious.**

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After the confrontation with Jimmy, I left the house to sit on the little staircase of the porch, cursing him and Shane internally. If Shane would had been more patient instead of being blinded by anger, Rick would had been able to talk with Hershel. On the other hand, was Jimmy: a jealous prick. In the middle of my hate, Glenn sat by my side and sighed.

"Thank you for defending me." I said after a few seconds, smiling to him. He smiled back and gave me a shoulder bump.

"Don't worry." He answered. "I'll talk with Maggie about this and she'll fix it."

"I hope so."

We sat there in silence, observing the field. As I was immersed in my own thoughts, Glenn's voice dragged me out of them. "Do you like Beth?"

His sudden question choked me. I looked at him with my eyes and mouth slightly open. "What? What makes you think that? Of course I don't like her!" I nervously said, my voice more acute than usual. When I noticed it, I cleared my throat slyly.

"Don't worry, it's just a question…" He smiled at my reaction, probably thinking that I was hiding something. I had nothing to hide: Beth was something different, but the love I felt for her was friend love; anything else.

"Then there you have your answer." I was about to get up and leave when Rick came toward us. His look and voice seemed worried.

"Is Hershel inside?" He asked. Glenn and I shook our head as Rick put both hands on his hips, looking in the house's direction. "I can't find him anywhere… I think he's gone."

"I thought he was with you." Glenn said, standing up. "Beth needs him, she's in shock."

"Don't worry, I'll go get him."

"I'll go with you."

I excused myself to go and continue digging the grave, while they entered the house to talk with Maggie to know where to find her dad. I walked toward Andrea and T-Dog, who asked me if Beth was okay. "She will be", I only said as went back to work. The other two graves were already done, so we had to delay a bit the burial. When I was done, Daryl and Shane brought the bodies. Then we began to throw dirt on them. My arms hurt a bit and I was exhausted, but I didn't want to complain. My clothes were full of dirt and my forehead sweated, so Daryl, probably seeing how tired I was, replaced me. I washed my hands and gladly received a plate of fruit from Lori. I sat beside Carl and tried to make conversation with him, but the kid was too sad about Sophia's death to talk.

"I thought I would find her, you know?" Were the only words he said to me. I put my arms on his shoulders and he rested his head on me. When everything was ready, we stood up and heard some words from the people of the group. I decided not to talk, since I hadn't met her personally.

Once the burial ended, I grabbed a shove and my knife. While I walked toward the woods, I saw Glenn and Rick inside a car. I sighed, hoping they would find Hershel. Beth needed him, not only for medical care. I began my way through the trees, thinking about multiple things. The last words from my grandpa bounced inside my head. "Stay with your family," he had said, "you will need them in this world." And he wasn't wrong, I missed them every day, every second. If only I had heard my father…

When I turned to the right, I saw that my mother's body was still there, on the floor. The leaves under her were full of blood and flies flied around, watching over her decomposed body. The smell made my nose wrinkle, but I wouldn't let it take me back. I placed myself at her side, buried the shovel on the ground and began to dig.

"We bury the ones we love." Daryl's words echoed in my mind. I couldn't bury my mother on the farm, but that didn't mean she couldn't be buried. She didn't deserve to be abandon in the woods, like she didn't have anyone to take care of her. I found her and I killed her; now, I would bury her.

As I dig, a train of thoughts was going through my mind. I was thinking about Rick, about how he looked for his family without a hint of they were. He didn't give up. On the other hand, I took for granted that my father and brother were dead, just because Marko's knife was stuck on my mother's chest. My father was a soldier and Marko was training to be a cop, so they definitely knew how to fight and survive. I didn't even know how to shot, but I was alive. If I was, then they were, too. A smile crossed my face. They were okay and I would find them. I wouldn't leave anyone behind.

I was almost done when I heard steps coming to my direction. I grabbed my knife, ready to fight against what appeared, but it resulted to be Daryl. He had his crossbow hanging on his shoulder and a bottle of water in one hand.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, burying the shovel on the ground to sustain it. He handed me the bottle and I gratefully took it.

"I tracked you, it wasn't too hard." I hid a smile while I drank as he observed the body below. "Your mother, I guess."

I nodded, leaving the bottle on the floor.

"She deserves it." I said as I grabbed the shovel and continued digging. Daryl, meanwhile, started to look for branches. I wasn't aware of that until I saw him picking one and throwing it again to the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that he was doing a cross.

With his help, I placed my mother's body inside the hole. Once she was buried, I placed the cross on her grave and sat in front of it, feeling proud of myself. Daryl sat by my side, in silence. I always enjoyed his company, I didn't know why. Beside Beth, he was the only person I felt comfortable with.

"What did you use to do before this began?" I asked, taking a sip of water and handing it to him after. He imitated me and placed the bottle by his side.

"Why are you asking?"

I shrugged. "Just trying to make a little conversation."

"What were you doing?" He changed the subject, but I didn't care. He didn't want to talk about himself or his life and I was okay with that.

"Well… I was in college, studying a Degree in Primary Education." I began. "Also, I used to help my little neighbors with their homework and I worked as a voluntary in an orphan school for a year."

"I guess that's why you like to help Carl with his homework."

I laughed a bit. "I have to take advantage of the opportunity as I don't know how much life I have left…"

"Don't say that." He interrupted me with a serious look. Silence invaded us again, but it was a comfortable one. I was ready to tell him to wake up and go, but Daryl suddenly talked. "Nothing." I frowned, not knowing what he was referring to. When he saw my expression, he explained: "I was nothing before. I lived in the woods with my father and older brother, Merle."

"What happened to them?"

"My father? I don't know. Merle? We escaped together, we found the camp…" He interrupted himself, as it was hard to continue. After a few seconds, he did it. "He wanted to do bad things. I knew they were, but I had to follow him. He was the old one, after all."

He was talking about his brother with pain. His expression screamed he had lost Merle and with him a piece of himself. I understood it: I felt empty without Marko by my side. Although he was four years older than me, we were inseparable when little. Being separated from him and not knowing if he was okay was killing me.

"I'm sorry, Daryl." I whispered sincerely. He nodded avoiding visual contact and rose from the ground. I did the same thing, grabbed the shovel and smiling to my mother's grave, turned around.

When we arrived to the camp, Rick, Glenn and Hershel had arrived safely. Maggie told me Hershel had put Beth to sleep, so she was getting better. Also, she had told Jimmy that I could see Beth whenever I wanted. Knowing that he would be mad about it made me smile inside. I thanked her and made my way to my tent, with the excuse that I was tired. It wasn't a lie, given that I had dig two graves in one day.

I changed my clothes and lied on the floor, playing with Marko's knife in my hands. It had been the gift of his 20th birthday. My mother was against his son having a knife, but being my father strong headed, he bought it anyway. It was a rainbow spectrum titanium-coated knife that could blind you if it reflected the sun. I always liked it, but Marko kept it like a treasure. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the first thing he packed when we were about to leave our house. Having this knife made me feel closer to him, somehow. I placed it on top of my clothes, beside Shane's gun which I hadn't returned him yet; nor was in my plans to do so. I closed my eyes and fell asleep while I planned my next moves.


	11. No One Behind

**Thanks for the reviews! They really make me keep writing.**

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I was in the library, studying for my finals, when my phone began to vibrate as my father's face appeared on the screen. I rose up and walked towards the entrance, going outside. The campus was almost empty, only two or three people were walking to their classes. I opened the call.

"Where are you?" My father asked, with a worried tone and running out of breath. I frowned a bit.

"In the library, why?" He didn't answer, but I heard my mom's voice in the distance. "Dad?"

"Come home. Now."

"Why? What's going on?" My pulse increased in matter of seconds. I was in a constant state of nerves since grandpa fainted. Was something happening to him? Or Marko?

"Scarlett, do as I say and get out of there, now."

My father hang up the phone and I immediately ran inside the library, collected my things and went to the parking area to get my car. On my way home, I noticed the opposite road full of cars. It seemed like they were running away from something... When I arrived home, my parents were putting clothes in sport bags and backpacks, beside food and hygiene products.

"Dad?"

"Collect your things, we're going the hell away from here."

I stood up in the middle of the living room, feeling lost. First, he dragged me out of the University, and now, he was telling me that we were leaving our house. I didn't understand a thing, but he seemed nervous and rushed to explain anything. I ran upstairs, looking for Marko. He was in his bedroom, putting things on his black backpack as well.

"Can you explain me what's happening?" I asked. He turned around and grabbed me by the arm, sitting me on his bed.

"Do you remember that infection that has been worrying people for weeks?" I nodded. "It's expanding. People are attacking other people and nobody knows why. We only know that we have to leave to find a shelter or something, at least until this resolve."

My brain was working at an incredible speed. That was why Laura hadn't gone last week nor this one. That was the reason why teachers were quitting classes, and why the campus was empty. People were looking for a secure place, they were running away. And now, we had to run away too.

Marko gave me his sport bag and told me to fill it with clothes and everything I found necessary, because we didn't know where we would come back. I obeyed as fast as I could, but my hands and entire body were shaken. When I was placing a photo with my grandparents inside the bag, a light went on in my head: my grandpa was still in the hospital. I was so nervous that I almost forgot him. In a rush, I ran until the middle of the stairs and screamed:

"What will happen to _dedushka_ (grandpa)? He is going to come with us, right?" My father yelled that we would get him before leaving the town, so I went back to my room feeling much quieter.

When we had everything settle, we proceed to leave the house. I had Marko's bag hanging from my shoulder and one hand clutching my mother. While we walked toward the car, I looked around to see how the neighbors were placing bags inside their cars, too. Our next-door neighbor, Martin, was placing his little son, Michael, in the backseat. With sadness, I slightly smiled to Michael. Our eyes connected as he waved at me. Martin and his family were very nice. They usually came home: Martin would watch the play with my father while his wife and my mother talked about random things. I would help Michael and Alex, his older brother, with their homework and babysit them if their parents weren't home. My father approached to speak to him while Marko and I put our things inside the car.

"Do you have any weapons to defend yourself?" I heard my father asking. Martin said no, he wasn't gun-friendly. He only had kitchen knives, just in case. I watched how my father gave him his own gun, after checking that it was charged. It wasn't a big deal, we had two more. They hug each other, Martin entered the car and we watched them leave.

It was our turn, now. I placed myself in the backseat, beside Marko. We put on the seat belt and headed to the hospital. The chaos was everywhere. Everybody was collecting their things and leaving, on foot or by car. We parked in front of the hospital, which entrance was full of old people being helped by others to get into cars, buses or vans.

"As soon as I leave, lock the doors." Said my father, unbuckling his belt. He handed a gun to my mother. "I'll get him."

"I'm going with you."

"No." My parents said to me at the same time. My father continued. "You're staying here, I will not let anything happen to you."

"But, da-"

" _Dostatochno, Scarlett!_ (Enough, Scarlett!)" He screamed. I jumped a bit on my seat, surprised by sudden response. "Stay here."

He left the car with the other gun inside his belt, hide by his shirt. My mother and Marko began a conversation, trying to figure out where we would go. We couldn't stay in the car forever: it would run out of gasoline at some point. While they talked, I had my gaze stuck in the entrance. Minutes were passing tediously slow. I didn't know if it was five or ten minutes after, but I unlocked my belt trying to be silent and unlocked the door. Mom would kill me, but I had to find my grandpa. I knew he wouldn't go with dad, but if I begged him, he would come. I couldn't leave him behind.

I opened the door and ran inside, hearing Marko's voice along with my mother's. I ignored them, knowing that if I turned around I would end up inside the car again. I entered the hospital and ran to the stairs, straight to the third floor. Halls were full of doctors running from one place to another. I crashed with people several times, but I didn't stop to say sorry; neither did they. We were too worried to waste time.

Expecting to find my father, I opened the door of my grandpa's room, but he wasn't there. As I had guessed, grandpa was still on his bed. He seemed surprised to see me. Had I arrived before my father? That was impossible, he left ten minutes before me.

"Letti, what are you doing here?"

"It wasn't a simple flu, grandpa, people are getting dangerous. We have to leave and you're coming with us." I grabbed a wheelchair and approached it to the bed. "C'mon, I'll help you."

"Letti…" He began to shake his head. "I can't go with you."

"Bullshit." With a serious look, I connected our eyes. "You're coming."

"I need oxygen to keep breathing. I will not survive without it, there's no way I can get out of here." He said, pointing out the tubes on his nose, trying to convince me. But I couldn't hear a word, I was grabbing his hands already to help him to get up. "Stop, Letti!"

"I'm not leaving you behind to die!" I screamed, feeling how tears began to slide down my cheeks. He squeezed my hand and grabbed the other. "Please, grandpa…"

"I wish I could go with you…" Silence invaded the room, only broken by my sobs. "I'm not surprised by your reaction, I could barely make your father go away."

I smiled through tears, happy to know that they had ended their fight. It was late, but it didn't matter. A shot made us jump in our places. I looked him in fear and he tried to calm me, although I knew he was as scared as me. He dropped my hands and made me signs to leave the room before something happened to me. I hug him for the last time, kissing his forehead and face.

" _YA lyublyu tebya, dedushka_ (I love you, grandpa)" I said, fighting with the tears. At home, my heart was breaking at the thought of leaving him. Now that I was being forced to do it, it was shattered.

" _YA_ _lyublyu tebya, Letti_ (I love you, Letti)"

It cost me a world to separate myself from my grandfather, but I did it in the end. I closed the door behind me and recline my back on it, trying to catch my breath. Seconds later, I was running again down the hall.

When I began to hear screams and shots, I panicked. I didn't know where to go or where the exit to the stairs was anymore. The only thing I could see were people and blood. One of the doctors was on the floor, lying on a pool of blood. I covered my mouth, trying to avoid vomiting because of the scene that was taking place in front of me.

A person was leaned over the dead doctor, removing his intestines and eating them. This person was growling and making disgusting sounds while swallowing that were making me sick. I began to ran away from the scene, when I heard another scream by my side. A doctor was being bite in her arm by a teenager with almost white eyes. When she grabbed me with her free arm, I screamed in fear.

"Help me, please!" She screamed in agony as the creature teared a piece of meat out of her arm. I tried to let go, but she was gripping me strongly.

"Let me go!" I screamed at her, but she wasn't listening, just screaming at the bites she was receiving.

In a blink of an eye, a hole appeared on her forehead, right between her eyebrows. I turned around to see my dad approaching me with the gun on his hand. I ran towards him and hug him, feeling how my entire body was trembling in shock.

"They attacked you?" I shook my head as we began to run toward the stairs. My father didn't let go my hand until we were beside the car. I entered and he closed the door behind me before entering himself. He locked the doors again and hit the wheel, swearing in Russian. "What were you thinking, Scarlett?! You could be dead!"

I couldn't respond or move. I just searched Marko's hand to grip it. My older brother put his arms around me and I hid my face in his chest, trying to hid my sobs as well.

"She's okay, Yev." My mother said in a sweet voice. I knew she was mad, but didn't want me to feel worse. I heard my father sighing and, seconds later, the car began to move. I stayed in my brother's arms to avoid watching how we left the hospital behind, and my dear grandpa inside.


End file.
